


Ten

by WishIKnew



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Sports, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-03-31 15:32:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13978119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishIKnew/pseuds/WishIKnew
Summary: "That’s our captain, Lena.” Lucy points at a girl wearing the number ten on her back, sprinting across the grass with her long black hair in a ponytail.Kara chokes on her popcorn.





	1. One

Kara huffs out a breath as she pushes her key into the lock, quickly turning the knob and throwing the door open. She breathes in the stuffy dorm room air with a huge smile.

_California._

She launches herself onto her tiny twin-sized bed with a wide smile on her face. California! As far as fresh starts go, this one might take the cake. She glances over at her three large suitcases sitting outside the door, still unpacked. The smile on her face quickly shrinks.

Oh, she’s going to _kill_ Alex if she doesn’t get here in time to help her unpack.

Kara slides off the bed, slipping her shoes off and padding towards her first suitcase. She glances around the room while dragging her suitcase through the doorway. Her side of the room is completely empty other than the twin-sized bed and a small desk. The perfect canvas for a sophomore transfer student coming from the other side of the country.

Her roommate’s side is considerably more hectic, with clothes strewn across the bed and the walls covered in photos. Kara pulls the other two suitcases into the small dorm and hoists them onto her bed. She pushes her glasses up her nose and strolls over to her roommate’s side, deciding her unpacking can wait a few minutes. She has a roommate to investigate.

The pictures covering the walls show exactly what Kara had hoped to find in California. She sees palm trees and surf boards, ice cream and boardwalks, bridges and beaches. As she looks more closely she notices multiple pictures of a girl with dark brown hair who she guesses must be her roommate Lucy. The most prominent picture by far is about four times the size of the others, showing a large group of girls in striped jerseys holding a strange ball shaped like a large egg.

“Snooping already, huh?” A voice coming from the doorway startles Kara and she lets out a quick yelp.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. I was just-” Kara cuts herself off as she spins around to see Alex leaning against the door frame with a smirk on her face.

Alex’s smirk turns into a smile as Kara launches herself at her, letting out a small _oof_ when Kara barrels into her.

Kara squeezes her tightly, saying, “You scared me! I haven’t seen you in so long, I didn’t even recognize your voice. I thought you were my roommate!” Alex lets go of her and walks over to the bed to start poking at the suitcases.

Unzipping the first one, she asks, “Left all the hard work to me, sis?” 

Kara’s smile widens. Boy, she had really, really missed her sister. “Well, yeah, you’re late!” She looks closely at Alex, beginning to notice her flushed cheeks and some kind of spot blooming on her neck. “Uh, Alex?” Kara starts, a sly grin pulling at her lips. “Is that a _hickey?_ ”

Alex’s hand flies to her neck for a second, then she begins to unpack Kara’s suitcases at almost super-human speed.

“What? Definitely not. Just a skin…thing. You know. Stuff and- like, things,” Alex trails off as she continues to throw Kara’s things into random drawers. Obviously changing the subject, she quickly asks, “So who’s your roommate? Looks like she’s been here for a while.”

Kara chuckles and reaches into her backpack, shuffling through all of the papers given to her at transfer check-in this morning. “Her name’s Lucy,” Kara starts, still shuffling through her papers. She pulls a crumpled sheet out with a triumphant _ah-ha!_ and continues, “Lane. Lucy Lane. You know her?”

Alex pauses her frantic unpacking to look up at Kara, answering, “Oh yeah! Lucy’s definitely something. She’s on the rugby team with my-” Alex cuts off abruptly but seems to gather her bearings. Jeez, why was Alex being so _weird?_ “Maggie. With Maggie.”

Kara shakes her head a little bit at Alex. Kara’s just happy to see her sister; she can interrogate her later. “Neat! But rugby? Seems kind of…I don’t know, violent? Like, hardcore?”

Alex chuckles, “Yeah, kind of. But you’ll like Lucy. Honestly she’s so extroverted that it’s kind of hard not to.” 

Just as Alex finishes speaking, the door to the dorm swings open and the girl from the pictures on the wall springs into the room. “Kara? I’m Lucy, it’s great to-” Kara darts over to Lucy and wraps her in a warm hug. “Oh! Wow, yeah, good to meet you,” Lucy finishes, giving Kara a smile.

“Sorry, Lucy, she’s a bit of a puppy,” Alex apologizes. Kara rolls her eyes, but her grin remains firmly on her face.

“Hey there, Danvers,” Lucy smirks at Alex. “Where’s Maggie?”

“Shut it, Lane.” There Alex goes again, being all…shady. Kara’ll definitely have to ask her about that later. Maybe it’s a California thing? Everything here feels so new and exciting, and Kara’s feeling a little bit overwhelmed. But Lucy seems friendly enough, and no matter how weird Alex is acting, she knows she’ll always have her big sister. California, bring it on.

* * *

After finishing helping Kara unpack (actually, Kara guesses that Alex probably did most of the unpacking for her, but she’s just too excited to really stay focused right now, okay?) Alex heads off to lunch. 

Kara flops back onto her freshly made bed and takes a deep breath. She did it. She’s _actually_ here. She looks over at Lucy who’s lounging on her bed with headphones in. 

“Lucy? Uh, Lucy?” Kara turns towards her and starts waving her hands around. “I’m kind of like, wildly excited to be here, and I know we just met, but I was wondering if you, maybe, sort of- “

Lucy looks up at Kara and pulls one of her headphones out, cutting Kara off, “I’m headed over to the rugby game in a few minutes, want to come with? I know you’re the new kid in town so I can show you around a little bit, give you the lay of the land?” 

Kara gives Lucy a smile that reaches all the way past her eyes. “Yes! Oh, you’re not playing in the game? Alex told me you were kind of a big deal on the squad. Something about being a, uh- What did she call it? Screw-half?”

Lucy chuckles, “Oh, yeah, I’m the _scrum_ -half. You know much about football?” Kara nods her head, and Lucy continues, “I’m kind of the quarterback.” Kara keeps nodding, letting it all sink in. Okay, so her roommate was kind of a badass. 

“But right now, I’m just a _little_ bit concussed, so I’ll be your introduction into the great wide world of rugby.” Lucy grabs Kara’s hand, hauling her off the bed and leading her out of the dorm and into the hallway.

* * *

“Right, so over there’s the pizza place. Not good pizza, honestly, but the lady that runs it will give us free pizza like once a week, so we make it work.” Lucy’s been pointing out different campus hotspots on their way over to the rugby game, and Kara’s been trying her best to take mental notes. But she perks up at the pizza, beginning to listen very intently and nodding her head very seriously as Lucy explains the various campus eateries. 

Lucy pauses in her campus rambling for a moment, turning towards Kara and saying, “Wow, sorry. I’ve been kind of droning on for a while. What about you, Kara? Transferring as a second semester sophomore, definitely bold.”

Kara shoves another bite of the popcorn she’d bought from the campus center into her mouth, and begins talking with her mouth full, “Yep! I went to this really small school in the south before I transferred, but I kind of realized I wanted something more, like…I don’t know, different?” 

Kara swallows, shoves another fistful of popcorn into her mouth and keeps going. “Not that it wasn’t great there, but I felt like I should branch out, you know? Go somewhere a little more alternative. Where I could feel more…comfortable.” Kara swallows nervously, hoping Lucy understands what she’s getting at. 

Feeling like she was one of the only people questioning her sexuality at her tiny southern school was one of her main motivators. Knowing things will be different here eases her mind quite a bit, but she’s already overwhelmed by the amount of pretty girls that she’s passed on her way to the game. Like, _wow._

Lucy shakes her head and smiles a bit. Good to know her roommate certainly wasn’t one for subtlety. “Totally. Gotcha. I think you’re really going to like it here, roomie. Alright, pick up the pace, I refuse to be late to my own team’s game.”

* * *

Lucy’s back in rugby mode, pointing out the different lines on the rugby pitch and explaining what they all mean. The 80-minute game is about ten minutes in, and Kara is riveted. 

Lucy points at the weird post-looking thingies reaching into the sky on either end of the grass. “Those are the h-posts,” Lucy explains. “Basically, this shit’s super complicated, but one way to score is by kicking the ball through those things pretty much anytime you want. But the only person who really does that is the fly-half. And that’s our captain, Lena.” 

Lucy points at a girl wearing the number ten on her back, sprinting across the grass with her long black hair in a ponytail.

Kara chokes on her popcorn.

The fly-half, Lena, has to be the prettiest human Kara has seen in her entire life. And Kara has seen a lot of pretty people. Lucy is definitely still talking, saying something that Kara really, truly, does not understand at all. She honestly can’t bring herself to care.

Kara spends the rest of the game watching Lena run up and down the pitch. Her popcorn sits abandoned on the bleachers beside her as she whips her head back and forth trying to keep up with both Lena and the weird egg-ball-thing. As the referee blows the final whistle signaling the end of the game, Lena glances over towards Kara.

Lena raises her hand towards her and gives a small wave, and Kara’s heart almost stops. _Lena is waving at me. Lena. Is waving. At me. Danvers, do something!_ Kara scrambles to wave back, kicking her popcorn over and giving a smile that looks more like a grimace.

Lucy laughs out loud, rolling her eyes and giving Lena a wave back.

_Oh. Duh. She was waving at Lucy. Smooth, Kara! Doing great!_ She turns towards Lucy and shrugs sheepishly while Lucy gives a playful nudge against her shoulder.

Kara and Lucy hang around the bleachers after the game waiting for Lucy’s teammates to come over. Kara rocks back and forth on her toes nervously. She shook her head at herself. She could totally make a good first impression! She was like human sunshine or whatever. 

She looks up and notices a few of the players heading her way. Play it cool. They greet Lucy first and then give Kara a friendly wave.

“Kara, this is Vasquez.” The short-haired girl gives Kara a smile and a wave, and Kara feels a little bit more calm. “And this is Maggie,” Lucy finishes with a smirk, and the girl-Maggie-gives Lucy a quick shove.

“Hey,” Maggie sticks her out her hand and grabs Kara’s in a firm handshake. Huh, okay. Whatever weird vibes Alex was putting out, Kara definitely has to get to the bottom of it. Before she can start thinking too hard about it, she glances behind Maggie’s shoulder to see Lena trotting towards the group.

She gives Lucy a polite nod and turn her attention towards Kara. Lucy drags Kara a little closer and says, “Lena, this is Kara. Kara, Lena.” 

Lena gives Kara a kind smile and a small nod. Kara flounders for a minute before deciding on, “Karvers. I mean. Kara. Danvers. Kara Danvers.” She hears both Maggie and Lucy chuckle before pressing onwards. “Yep. Kara. Awesome to meet you,” she finishes, cringing and pushing her glasses up her nose. 

Lena quirks an eyebrow, laughter dancing behind her eyes. “Well, Karvers. The pleasure is all mine.” 

Kara thinks she might pass out.

Lucy pulls her back to reality, asking, “Kara, the team always heads out for a bite to eat after games, and you’re totally welcome to join. Always happy to have such a big fan hang out with us.” Lucy is wearing a good-natured smirk, and Kara knows what her new friend is up to. Better handle this with poise and composure.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude or anything. I think I’ll just-” Kara starts walking backwards, but trips over her own feet and stumbles a bit. “I’m just gonna…uh, bye! See you at home, Lucy!”

Lucy shakes her head and watches her go. Kara hears a low chuckle come from Lena and hurries away from the pitch. Well. Could have been worse, right? Kara shakes her head on her way back to the dorm, a smile playing at her lips. 

This place was going to be a heck of a ride.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara is trying her best. Really, she is.

Kara spins her pencil between her fingers as the professor continues clicking through his presentation at the front of the lecture hall. She really, _really_ , should be paying attention, but there’s only so much interest an English major can feign in an introductory physics class. 

It’s honestly a shock she’s even awake.

With the first two weeks of the semester already having flown by, Kara is pretty much at the point of no return. She’s not allowed to drop the class at this point and she needs it to complete her science requirement. 

Whoever invented university core requirements was absolutely on Kara’s shit-list, right under Isaac Newton himself. Her stomach rumbles and she wonders if she could sneak out of the back of the classroom to grab lunch. It’s not like she was getting anything out of today’s lecture.

She turns around and starts eyeballing the nearest exit. All she would have to do is-

“Miss Danvers? Kara?” 

Kara’s head snaps back to the front of the room as she realizes the professor has been calling her name for the past couple of seconds.

Okay, seriously, _screw_ Isaac Newton and all of his laws.

Kara glances down at her open notebook and sees nothing but doodles of tiny kittens wearing superhero capes. Well. “Ah-sorry, what was the question?”

The professor _tsks_ and looks pointedly at Kara. “Miss Danvers, try to pay attention please. Alright, that’s all the time we have for today. Don’t forget to read page-" He keeps talking, but Kara has already grabbed her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. Two weeks in and she’s already feeling kind of incompetent. She’s gotta ask Alex for help with this class because she’s absolutely not going to have to retake it. 

Or, she supposes, she could utilize the peer tutor that the professor so graciously provided.

She heads for the door and glances over to the front of the class where Lena is packing up her books. 

So maybe, just _maybe,_ Kara had an ulterior motive for staying in the class. But it totally just wasn’t because Lena was the peer tutor for the course. No, definitely not.

Kara closes her eyes and lets out a breath. _Ok, Kara, don’t be an idiot. Be cool. Cool as a cucumber._ She sets her shoulders and very nonchalantly approaches Lena’s desk. 

Lena glances up and her lips quirk up in a smile. “Karvers,” she says, as her smile tilts into a smirk.

Kara gapes at her. “It was my first day here! I was nervous! Give a girl a break,” she pouts.

When Lena rolls her eyes and breaks into a laugh, Kara swears she feels her heart skip a beat. 

_Okay. Consider: calming down._

Lena looks at Kara expectantly, and Kara realizes she should really say something.

“Uh, so I actually have a question. This class is really kicking my butt, and I know this is kind of extremely short notice, but I’m super unprepared for Tuesday’s exam. Do you think, maybe, you could like-” Kara’s rambling is cut short by Lena’s laugh.

“Kara, of course I’ll help you. It’s kind of my job actually.” Kara heaves a sigh of relief and Lena continues, “And maybe you can teach me a little something about Classics 101 because that is definitely not going to be my cup of tea,” Lena chuckles.

Kara’s smile grows even wider. “Yeah, definitely! Can we start tomorrow? I don’t want you to underestimate how behind I am,” she responds with a sheepish grin.

Lena nods and finishes packing up her bag, then stands and starts making her way towards the door. She turns back towards Kara. “Great. It’s a date then.”

She winks and disappears through the door.

Kara is gaping like a fish.

Date. That’s just a saying, right? She needs to relax. That’s just the kind of thing friends say to each other when they’ve made plans. It’s a thing. Right?

Still, that went pretty smoothly as far as she’s concerned. Point for Kara. And she’s actually getting help with this god forsaken class while spending time with the cutest girl she’s seen in her whole life. So two points for Kara, really. 

* * *

Kara pushes open the door to the on-campus coffee shop and scans around. She hasn’t seen Alex in over 48 hours and that just won’t fly. They’re supposed to be meeting to catch up and check in, but Kara really wants to grill her about this Maggie girl. And also maybe find out what she knows about Lena.

She walks further into the shop as she spots Alex sitting at a cozy booth in the back corner. She starts making her way over to Alex when she notices a familiar black ponytail sitting a couple of tables down from where Alex is.

So naturally Kara turns right around and practically sprints the couple of steps back to the door before flinging herself back outside.

Her phone chimes almost immediately. “Idiot,” she mumbles to herself. She pulls her phone out and looks down to see that Alex has sent her a string of texts.

_Alex: dude, what the fuck?_

_Alex: oh._

_Alex: OH!_

_Alex: lena is here. did i forget to mention that?_

Kara rubs her hand across her forehead and turns back to the coffee shop. She scurries over to the huge window that peers into the shop and tries to grab Alex’s attention. 

She starts swinging her arms and gesturing wildly at the table where Lena is thankfully sitting with her back towards the window. Alex responds to all of Kara’s incoherent gestures with shrugs and eyerolls. 

Kara stomps her foot at Alex and turns her back to the coffee shop again. Her phone chimes once more.

_Alex: oh my god seriously stop being a freak and come back in here_

Kara’s fingers start frantically flying across the keyboard.

_Kara: i absolutely cannot do that!!_

The door swings open and smacks Kara in the face.

Alright. That was unexpected.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” yelps the person behind the door as Kara’s glasses fall off her face and onto the sidewalk.

Kara bends down and fumbles around for a second before grabbing her glasses and slipping them back onto her nose. “No, no, don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have just been standing in front of the door like that, it’s just-” Kara stands and looks up at the apologetic face in front of her.

“Lena! Hi!” Kara’s eyes widen as she recognizes the culprit behind the door. “Seriously, it’s totally okay. I just got here so…I’m going to head in. Still on for studying tonight?” A very smooth recovery. Nice one.

“Definitely. Meet me at the library at 7? I’ll bring snacks,” Lena smiles at Kara and _wow._

“Oh perfect. You know, food is like, absolutely the key to my heart.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the left side of Lena’s mouth quirks and she reaches up to squeeze Kara’s arm. “See you later, Kara.” With that, Lena is gone and Kara finally ducks back into the coffee shop to meet Alex.

_I am so screwed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, hi I guess? I don't even really know what to say other than sorry I disappeared. But hey I'm back! Another update to come this week. So here we actually go, folks

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go, folks!


End file.
